Dusk
by katietheunicorn
Summary: Zoey Redbird finds herself in a new place and in a lot of pain. She will learn love, lust and friendship, and she will find herself in very grave danger, can she survive?
1. Chapter 1 : How I Would Die

**How I Would Die**

I'm burning. I'm going to die.

_Merde_.

I'd never really given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go, noble even.

My mark is blazing as a white hit trickle of heat slithers down my spine. I won't make it. Nyx, tell my grandma I love her, and Stevie Rae and all my other friends. Tell them to stay true, and tell Lenobia, my teacher in equine studies, that I am grateful for all her help, and sorry that I failed. Tell Dragon, the fencing teacher, I will tell Anastasia, the teacher of spells and potions and Dragon's late wife, that he loves her and that we will stick together.

And Neferet.

I love Neferet as my mother, as my own is so cruel to abandon me for that stupid John Heffer, and elder of the People of Faith. Tell her to stick by my Grandma and that they should both remember I love them. I am sorry Neferet, I failed you.

I scream. It's getting worse; it's shooting through me like a white hot poker with extra spikes on the side. And then everything goes black.

I'm dying. I'm dead.

"She's bleeding out, Alice, pass me your belt," said a sweet but low male voice

"Here," said a female, who sounded scarily like Neferet. I heard the click of a metal buckle.

"Tie it above my hands. Bella, get Nessie out of here, she doesn't need to see this. Find Edward, tell him not to worry."

"Okay, come on _Renesmee._"

"You're not still cheesed off about the whole Nessie thing, are you?" said a new male, sarcastically, I think.

My eyelids flickered open for a split second. There was a blonde male working over me, and a girl with spiky black hair sticking in every direction possible, but it looked quite cool, actually. A bronze-skinned male with dark, chin-length hair was just leaving the room, following a curvy brunette with a curly-haired child on her hip and looking at me over his shoulder.

I could just about feel the pressure of the belt and the blonde man's hands on my right thigh. I could see the trees and foliage around me. I was in a forest, the same forest I thought I'd died in.

"She's with us," said the blonde one, a huge grin spreading across his face. At least he was happy. I felt so sticky and bloody I had to look a right mess. I started to sit up, when a stab of pain struck me in my lower back. I screamed. I think I shook the whole forest. The blonde male's face was suddenly tinged with worry and then it was too much for me. I did what I had only ever done twice before in my life: I fainted.

It can't have been for long, because when I came to I was being carried on a huge sheet or something. My body wasn't burning like before. It was worse, far worse. I couldn't feel my body at all; it was numb.

But my marks were blazing. All across my face, down my back, across my chest and on my palms, I was on fire.

I opened my eyes. We were moving out of the forest, and the blond man, the one who nursed me, was gazing in awed amazement at me. There was a bright white light shining at me from his eyes, and as I scanned the faces in my circle, they all looked the same, a bright white light dominating their vision. There was the blonde man, the small, spiky-haired girl (who looked far too small to be carrying me), a tall but lean boy with red-bronze hair and pitiful golden eyes that still shone white light at me, and...

I did a double take.

A wolf! What? That's not possible!

My eyes widened at the creature and its big brown eyes rolled, also shining brightly. It carried in its mouth a corner of something, a bed sheet maybe? Well, whatever it was I was being carried on it.

Suddenly my mind shouted at me, 'how could I be taking all this in when it was so...?'

PAINFUL!

Then I looked for memories of what happened. My mind felt huge. Spacious. Again with the mind babble! Ow!

The pain shot up through my neck, white hot, and somehow gave me a brain freeze, or a brain-heat or... whatever – ow!

We reached an opening in the forest and as it passed I realised how fast we were moving! And yet I could see every crease and crevice in every tree, fern and... lump of moss. Wherever I was, it was very green. Ew.

Once through the break in the trees, I saw the sun , but it didn't hurt me, not like usual. See, I'm kind of a vampyre, the sun hurts my eyes, or so I thought.

The people carrying me (and wolf) glittered (not the wolf)and their skin threw rainbow spectrums in every-which way. My eyes widened again.

I may have gotten a world-record eye-pop at this rate.

There was a huge house standing in the middle of a lush meadow, shaded by six huge conifers. It was big. No, that was an understatement. It was huge, and white and the entire east wall was totally made from glass. There were several stone steps with a metallic rail against a pale stone wall leading up to a pair of huge wooden doors. A huge, burly dark-haired boy, or most probably a man, opened one of the wide doors to let us through. His expression was flat, he showed no emotion and he had the same golden eyes as the bronze-haired boy and also the spiky-haired girl and the blonde man now I came to think about it.

We trotted up the steps and the sheet upon which I lay jostled me suddenly and so violent that that whit-hot poker stabbed through my back again, and I screamed. Again. I writhed in this new agony that I couldn't break free from, and surprised even the burly boy and the bronze-haired one with my next, loudest scream.

Once we got inside a long, blonde amber-eyed beauty Took a corner of the sheet with a beautifully elegant face that looked like it'd been set in stone. I felt a side order of jealousy to go with my burning pain. Ouch already!

A blonde boy was stood in the corner of the room, but he looked unhappy to be there, almost like it was hard for him. Suddenly, he sent a pained but determined glare my way and a feeling of ease and slight relief came over me. This helped, but I was still in a lot of pain and I started to cry. How was that going to help? I'm seventeen for crying out loud!

I was transferred from the sheet to a hospital-style cot and a drip was immediately (and painfully) shot into my arm, but I didn't feel anything. No relief or even the prick of the needle. But that burning came back.

Is it possible to die twice in the space of Nyx knows how long (sorry, Nyx)?

It shot through me like lightening and it was worse than anything I swear any human or vampyre has ever felt. I felt like I was being roasted for a Sunday lunch or stewed up or baked on the surface of the sun. I thought that it was unbearable. I wanted to die.

I wanted to die.

This was definitely the opposite of noble. I screamed again and the blonde male looked pained, helpless. I started to tense and relax and arch my back as if I was trying to fly away from the pain beneath me.

I screamed through my tears and I started to cough, almost as bad as that stupid red-head afro-Elliot.

Elliot. Coughing, and now blood. I was rejecting the change. Crap, now I really was going to die! 'Nyx, would you mind resending my prayers, please?' I thought. Nyx was my goddess and I loved her more than anything, though she was only just above Neferet and my grandma.

However, that did not solve my problem. If a fledgling (someone in the middle of human and vampyre) rejected the change they would die. I was too far from the real vampyres, and it was killing me, just like Elliot died in my Lit class last year, in front of all our class mates (though, they didn't really like him much) and Prof. P, before Neferet came to give him that milky drink to ease the pain and kill him more quickly.

And now it was happening to me.

But I had no relief, no milky white liquid to help me die. I was just going to. I knew it.

"I've never seen anything like it," said the blonde male. I reckon he must be a doctor. And why was he so happy? This was painful! I was dying!

The monitor strapped to me by some coloured wires started to decrease from its maniacal rate to an almost human pace. I stopped coughing.

I was very confused.

The bleeding ceased and the burning pain came back, creeping from my fingertips and toes, to my heart, but it seemed to take an eternity, like a snake-bite which kills you slowly but surely and painfully.

The burning feeling continued against my squeezed-shut eyes and gritted teeth.

Were these strange people trying to kill me for meat or something?

The burning became worse than ever and I almost screamed again, but that

pained look on the blonde males face popped into my mind.

They couldn't be hurting me on purpose or for food, because that man looked so guilty for my pain, as though it was his fault. So I didn't scream. I lied on the stiff hospital table (apparently I had been moved again (I fell unconscious for a time)) absolutely still and, strangely, became more and more aware...

I started to hear footsteps every-so-often, people coming in to check on me: I could also hear the buzzing of the monitors. Then I started to hear sounds from downstairs: doors opening and closing, more footsteps and the T.V.

My hearing got better and better and I even managed to listen in on an episode of _Glee_. (Which is brilliant, by the way) soon I was listening out for the headlines and seeing what was making the charts on the apparently much-favoured music channels. Also, I heard the ticking of a clock, and I started to count the seconds, minutes and hours (I'm good at maths) to while away the time.

After a long time of second-counting, which I think was about twenty-four to twenty-eight hours (I know it's hard to be that far out but occasionally I became very aware of the burning sensation and I stopped counting. Somehow, I managed to remember the last number so I could resume), the pain subsided from my fingers and toes, and after several more hours faded all the way up to my thighs and shoulders.

The burning pain was still strong, though, and as it faded my heart became more and more painful until I thought it would burst. Soon after 5200000 seconds (about twenty-four hours) my chest was alone in it's battle against the burning army of flames, which had escalated in temperature and pain rating: they were now 12/10 on the pain front and believe me, that hurts.

Suddenly the pain just shot to my heart as though it was going to explode and disappeared from the rest of my torso. The monitor's constant, steady beating shot up in speed and several pairs of footsteps came running at the sound.

After about 10 minutes of this excruciating pain it died into the centre and just... went.

And I opened my eyes.

"She's made it," said the perfect blonde male of whom I could see every single beautiful detail.


	2. Chapter 2 : A New Life

**A New Life**

I stared up at the light and gasped in amazement. I could see every little square in the plastic covering, the filament glowing in the bulb and the dust motes flying around beneath the yellow-white glow.

I blinked, and realised I was in foreign territory. I leapt off the table and landed crouching by the east-wall-window. Then I remembered that these people had helped me and stood straight. A human couldn't have blinked in the time all this happened, and I stood very surprised and rigid.

I could finally see this helpful family, and myself. All my cuts were healed and I was clean and smartly dressed (must've been the pretty blonde – no, I did not miss her Louis Vuitton leather boots or her chic leather Gucci biker jacket.) and I had some pretty patterned dolly shoes on with a small heel.

The family had eight members... and a half. The one who addressed me was the blonde male who healed me.

"Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife Esme," he said in a perfectly human voice, not like the (seemingly unintentional) attractive, sexy voice he used before.

"Hello there, welcome to our home," said the strawberry blonde woman Carlisle had indicated as his wife, Esme.

I stood in silence, to stunned to speak.

"I'm Emmet, this is my wife Rosalie", said the dark-haired burly man, and he indicated the beautiful blonde, who waved. Emmett seemed happy to be part of some action, but Rosalie looked a bit... reluctant, as though her life had been disrupted too many times.

"I'm Alice," said the spiky-haired girl, "and I knew that Chanel 'Wonder-gown' would look just fabulous on you, you're lucky you changed while you have such a great figure."

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion. All vampyres changed about my age... didn't they?

"This is Jasper, he hasn't been with us as long as the others, but this is Bella, and she's the newest addition to our family," said Alice in an admiring tone.

"Hey," said Bella, "This is Renesmee and my Husband, Edward," she indicated a small child (the half) and the bronze-haired boy. Was everyone in this family married?

Bella didn't have amber eyes like the others. Hers were an orangey-gold colour with a scarlet rim and a gold centre, like her gorgeous (obviously designer) tie-dye tunic, but that was lilac to a deep mauve.

"Renesmee is a little hard to get used to, but you'll learn to love her, trust me," said Edward. He was beautiful. His bronze hair was gelled up in a tangled mess that was actually quite sexy. He had on a light grey tee-shirt with an undone dark grey short-sleeved shirt over the top and some loose dark jeans.

The young girl was gorgeous. Renesmee had on a long-sleeved pale pink, yellow, green and blue striped tee shirt under a pinkie-red chunky-strap dress. Her blonde curls had escaped from her little plaits, tied up with little pink ribbons fiercely holding their own, clinging to her shiny, silken locks.

Edward, Bella and Renesmee were perfect together, and they made me smile without thinking. Renesmee smiled back at me and whispered a little "hello," which made me smile wider and want to hug the little beauty close to my chest.

The Cullens seemed to be happy with my acceptance and they smiled at me reassuringly.

"So what's your name?" said Alice.

I stood stunned. What? What was my name? Oh! My name! I opened my mouth but closed it again, like a fish, then stepped back uneasily.

Carlisle, the head of the family, I assumed, looked and smiled at me reassuringly, and I felt welcome and accepted. Then thoughts of the House of Night (the vampyre finishing school that I went to when I... _was _a fledgling) surfaced in my mind and made my heart ache. I was torn, but maybe these accepting new people could help me get back to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"Err..." I managed to say. I'm sure they were amazed by my awesome linguistic skills.

"Don't worry, we won't bite!" said Alice, but she smiled mischievously which freaked me out a bit.

"Alice," said Esme in a resigned but sarcastic way, rolling her eyes.

"Please, go on," said Carlisle.

"Z-Zoey... Zoey Redbird," I said in an almost questioning tone.

"Well, welcome, Zoey," said Carlisle.

"Yes, we'd love to have you stay... if you'd like?" said Esme.

"Sleepover!" cried Alice, drawing a loud breath in delight before speaking like a small child.

Renesmee reached toward Bella, and Bella bent down so that she could touch her face, before nodding and whispering something into her ear, I made it out to be "yeah, that's what it is, we can stay too if you'd like" and Renesmee nodded happily.

"Um..." was all I squeaked out, again astounding them with my conversational abilities.

Everyone stopped their whispers as though they just remembered that I was there. "Please?" said Renesmee anxiously.

"...Sure," I said smiling reassuringly, and Renesmee came running to me, a huge grin on her face, and hugged my legs. I almost cried, which is odd seeing as I don't really express emotion a lot. I kneeled down and she touched her palm to my cheek. I gasped in amazement.

A whole world flashed before my eyes: Renesme was imagining both of us snuggled up under a duvet in her lounge watching her favourite Disney DVDs, and her, Bella, Edward and I being best friends and going to eat animals together, then she thought about human blood, and it felt like a razor shot down my throat. Then Edward grabbed Renesme at lightning speed, and Emmett grabbed my arms behind me while Jasper stood in front, his arms spread protectively.

"Aahh..." I moaned quietly. I felt very weak and this strong mans arms were very... strong. But how did they know?

"Let her go, she looks weak," said Carlisle.

"But newborns are always strong... and thirsty" replied Emmett

"Can you feel that now?" Carlisle asked. What was he talking about?

Jasper looked defeated as he waved his hand for Emmett to release me and turned. I almost fell over, I was so tired.

"Does she look normal to you?" asked Esme, "look at her markings."

I gasped. I still had my marks? I reached up to touch my forehead instinctively, and then looked down at my chest. Yes! I still have Nyx!

I laughed happily and whispered a thank you to Nyx. The Cullens looked a little confused. To say the least.

"Nyx... is my goddess, I'm just glad she is still with me... She gave me these marks," I said tentatively. Carlisle looked curious. I had a lot of explaining to do. So I told them everything. I told them about my grandma, Neferet, my circle (air, fire, water, earth and spirit candles are lit and we thank or worship the goddess for things like the full moon. I have my own circle because I have an affinity for each of the elements, more about that later), the Tulsa House of Night and my mum and John. They all listened curiously until I had finished.

"Intriguing..." said Carlisle.

"I never thought there was another kind of Vampires..." said Alice

Jasper was looking a little defeated, and I was about to ask him, but Edward beat me to it.

"I know, Jazz," what? How does he know? "I don't get it either."

I stared at them, confused.

"Edward can read minds," said Carlisle. I turned to look at him in disbelief, as he continued, "and Jasper can sense and manipulate your emotions, whilst Alice gets visions of the future." I was stunned. There was no such thing as these abilities... right?

What about my abilities? Crap! I gasped but Edward... read my mind, so he beat me to it.

"What can you do?" he asked politely.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Let's see," I interrupted. "Air, I need you." I called on air and asked it to play with Renesme, tousling her curls and tickling her chin. She giggled.

"Intriguing..." said Carlisle... again.

"Fire, can you help me, please?" I blew into my cupped hands and a flame began to flicker and grow until it was resting in my hand like you would hold sand. There were several gasps.

"Water, could you assist, please?" Rain began to fall from nowhere several inches above my cupped hands until the fire was out completely. "Earth?" that was all I needed. The rich smell of freshly cut grass filled the room and I could hear birdsong and feel grass under my feet, despite my pretty new shoes. More gasps rippled through the room.

"And spirit, I would appreciate a visit from you," I said excitedly, knowing that the fluttery feeling of my spirit lifting would come, and it did. Low chatter erupted in the large room with thick white carpet and pale cream walls. A grand piano was set in the corner and ornate vases sat around the room in any available space, filled with spring bouquets of all different colours, shapes and sizes.

"Amazing," Jasper finally said to me, "That you have such abilities unknown to this world."

"Oh, they're not completely unknown, there were a couple of high priestesses with three or four affinities, but I'm the first with all five. And fledglings aren't supposed to have a filled in expanded forehead-mark, and no vampyre or fledgling has ever had marks anywhere else before," I lifted my palms and pulled down the shoulder of the black woollen sweater I was wearing over my dress, so that they could see my shoulder and part of my chest. Yet more gasps of awed amazement.

"What are you?" said Edward. I felt a bit insulted actually. "Sorry, it's just... in your mind you spell vampyre with a 'y'?"

"Yeah... vampyre... do you not know what that is?"

"We are vamp_ires_," said Carlisle, "with an 'I'. We have twenty-five chromosome pairs as opposed to the human twenty-three."

"Oh... right..." I said, awesomely intelligently, of course.

"You are new... you're special," said Esme, almost lovingly... admiringly.

"Um... there are lots of us... there are the red fledglings as well..."

"Wow... interesting," said Carlisle thoughtfully. "I will go and research this, make sure our Zoey has somewhere to sleep and for Pete's sake get her something to eat. Goodbye Zoey," he finished happily before leaving the room.

"I..." Jasper followed after him, blurring with speed, a look of defeat and wonder clouding over his face.

"Well... that was interesting..." said Emmett.

"Whatever," said Rosalie and the pair of them left together, Emmett raising a hand to me as a goodbye gesture.

"Well, I'll see you soon," said Alice, but she was speeding out the door before I could reply.

"Sorry about them Zoey, you're new to them, they're just curious," said Esme apologetically.

"Sure... don't worry... I don't mind..." I said and she left the room.

"Come on," said Bella, "let's go hunt."

"Erm... Okay?"

"Yay!" cried Renesmee.

Edward and Bella sighed and rolled their eyes in unison, looking lovingly at each other before kissing softly, then each kissing one of Renesme's cheeks simultaneously. She giggled and they gestured for me to follow them from the room.

I did, slowly, as I wished within me that I had a loving family like that, that I could have someone who loved me as a partner, for me, not for relation or for blood... me.

Suddenly my marks, the intricate swirls and intertwining bands showing what I was, a gift from Nyx, all over my face, neck, back, palms and chest, unlike any fledgling or vampyre ever before, were glowing. I could have sworn I was shining out, throwing rainbows and sunrays in every direction. I was really, really happy. I was elated.

I loved these people, too. And I liked it. I liked loving them, and I liked being loved.


	3. Chapter 3 : Fitting In

**Fitting In**

I followed the trio into the surrounding woods, and I was surprised at everything I could hear, see and smell. I could hear the cars passing on the highway up the three mile-long dirt road leading to the junction. I could hear the insects walking through the dry leaves. I could see the spider-webs between the branches of the trees, each silken thread. And I could see a million rainbows, dancing off my skin.

"This way," Bella called, looking over her shoulder to smile at me. I walked quickly, my hands on my elbows, to catch up with them.

We went through an archway created by some huge oaks, walking slowly for my normal pace. Before too long we had come to a river, about 20 feet wide (although that's probably too much – I can't judge distance to save my life).

"Just jump," said Edward. He and Bella each grabbed hold of one of Renesme's hands and took three steps before leaping. They absolutely flew, and landed elegantly on the bank at the other side. _Merde_.

"It'll be Okay," Edward hardly called, but I heard him easily enough.

"Aha..." I said, staring at the bubbling brown water.

I took several steps back, just encase, ran and leapt. The fly was exhilarating and I must've landed a third of a mile clear of the opposite bank. I stopped gradually and leant back against a tree, closing my eyes. I was exhausted.

"Remind you of someone?" Edward said suddenly, a smile in his voice. He and Bella were either side of my tree, peering round at each other with me in the middle.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Bella jokily, but it was clear that she did.

"Bella had a bit of a jumping accident or two when she was a newborn"

"Two?" I asked in confusion, "I only over-jumped a little bit?"

Edward and Bella tilted their heads down at the same time and Renesmee giggled. Oh. Oops.

"Ah. Right," I said and the couple looked at me and laughed. Renesmee came and pulled a loose thread from the extremely recently acquired tear in the Gold-to-Black, knee-length 'wonder-gown' Alice had given me, so that it extended right up to my thigh. It broke off just in time...

The dress was awkward to run in, but boy, could I run! I swear we went at lightning speed. Then I slowed down. "Can you wait up a sec?" I called. Edward and Bella with Renesme on her hip ran back and stopped just feet from me. I ripped up the left seam in my dress, so that they were the same. Edward laughed. No, he howled.

"What's so funny?" I asked, a bit peed off by now.

"That's... exactly what... I did!" Bella choked out between bubbly giggles.

"Huh..." I said wearing a fake smile as if to show I found it funny too. I didn't find it funny. I was cold and tired and I needed to sleep.

"What?" said Edward, suddenly. I was confused for a minute, then remembered that he could read my thoughts, which was creepy to say the least.

"I'm tired... and hungry... and cold..." I said questioningly.

"Now that... is weird..." said Bella looking at me almost sympathetically. I then remembered she was the newest, so I guessed she must've caused quite an interest.

Completely going off subject, I suddenly caught a disgusting smell in the wind. "What is that God-awful dog smell?" I said, freezing Edward and Bella mid-conversation to look at me and laugh again. This was worse than high-school.

There was a snort in the woods and a branch snapped. I turned a full circle, but I couldn't see anything. It started to growl. I screamed. It jumped out at me from behind and pinned me to the dirty ground on my front. My head was flattened down on the left side and all I could see was a huge black paw. I screamed again.

A circle of more creatures started to surround me. I could hear their hearts and their footsteps to locate them, but I had no desire to drink their blood, not like with Heath, my imprinted male (I accidentally drank his blood on the east wall of the school and we formed a deep bond which allowed me to save him from some demons. It was fun, not) and I did not feel that razor-sharp pain burn through my throat at the smell of them.

"Let her up, Sam," Edward called.

"She hasn't done anything wrong," Bella added.

"Mummy?" Renesmee asked. She was obviously scared, and her fear made a small salty water-bead slither down my cheek and spread on the ground.

But I was tired, even more so than before. And I was in pain. Whatever was on top of me and growling loudly was very heavy and I was struggling to breathe.

"Don't worry, it's not necessary for us to breathe," Edward said calmly. His voice sounded closer, like he was approaching the huge black thing.

"Sam, she's not going to hurt anyone... I know. I know we aren't supposed to bite any humans, but she was going to die, what else could we have done?" he paused for a moment, listening. "Who asked you? Jacob is Alpha enough to give us permission, and he was there! He helped carry her in!"

"Edward? Calm down," Bella murmured. "I think our Zoey is freaked out enough."

"But we had to save her," he said quietly. Then he shouted at the black thing again: "You weren't there! She'd been mauled by some animal, something worse than you. Another vampire, a human-eating vampire! She would've died and Carlisle saved her!" he spoke of his father with such admiration that it surprised me.

Suddenly, the huge black thing stepped off me, but I didn't get up. I just lied there, half asleep, until Edward came to pick me up. I think I actually fell asleep on his shoulder as he carried me over, but it can't have been for very long – he was shaking me in what was probably a few seconds. He smelt nice.

"Zoey?" he said softly.

I moaned to tell him I was awake. I took a deep breath, straightened up so he could let go of my shoulders and opened my eyes. I turned around.

Wolves.

Wolves like the one who carried me to the Cullens' house. Wolves twice the size if a human standing up. Wolves three times the size of a human. _Merde_.

I stared up at it, frozen. My mind was screaming at me to run, to blur into the distance in a matter of seconds, but my muscles were locked in place and just kept eye-contact with the black one.

"Zoey, there's no need to be afraid. I understand your motives to be, but Sam won't hurt you. We won't let him" said Bella. I liked her. She made me feel at home with my best friend Stevie Rae.

"He's going to phase so he can chat to us," said Edward, obviously reading the black one's mind because I didn't have a clue what he was talking about.

The black wolf padded out of the small clearing, and as soon as he was gone the 1... 4, 5... 13 wolves! All came to investigate. Me. And that is not fun, let me tell you.

They all sniffed around and I paced back until my back was against a tree and I slid down to a sitting position on it's smooth bark. They sniffed and sniffed, and I even earned a few licks, somehow. Ew.

Then a bronze-skinned man jogged through the trees in some muddy cut-offs. The wolves immediately retreated except for one, a brownish-grey one that looked me straight in the eye and seemed to communicate with me, to tell me it was okay and that they would help. This wolf had a strangely feminine look about her. She had long eyelashes and her eyes were rimmed in black as though she was wearing eyeliner. Her claws, just peeping out from each of her furry toes, were not muddy or dirty; they were cleaned well and neatly filed down. She was clearly a female.

"That's Leah," said Edward, answering my thoughts, "she's part of Jacob's pack and she's gotten used to us and she Jacob and her brother Seth have protected Bella and Renesme before, so we owe a great debt to them. We will be forever grateful," he finished, seeming to talk to Leah now.

Leah nodded in his direction and then came to sit at his left 'flank'. She stared at the bronze man.

"You have broken this point in the treaty before. There is no longer a truce," said the bronze man harshly.

"That's your decision," said Edward icily, "but remember that Jacob was your best fighter and that he, Leah and Seth are no longer part of your pack, therefore may not fight on your side."

"They would never kill one of their brothers."

"There're more of you," said Bella declaratively.

"Ever since those filthy Volturi came to visit there's been stinking tracks everywhere, and the gene's been triggered again," the bronze man said harshly.

This was a lot to take in. What was a Volturi? Who was this Bronze man? What did they mean by genes? Why was I surrounded by twelve giant wolves?

"The Volturi are a family. They're the closest thing our world has to royalty and they enforce the law; to keep our kind a secret. This man is Sam. He is the leader of the Quileute pack. Genes have been passed down the tribe for generation since the Spirit warriors who shared their minds with wolves to protect their family. The giant wolves are what came out of the equation," said Edward, answering all my questions in one long monologue.

"This is our meadow," Bella said suddenly, completely ignoring the wolves and talking directly to Edward.

"So it is," he replied.

"Why does Bella have to speak before you respond? Why don't you pay attention to her thoughts? You are married after all," I said. I was getting quite annoyed now.

"I can't read Bella's thoughts. Her gift is to shield. She can extend her shield around those she loves, and any gift that focuses on the mind is stopped in it's tracks. Powers that focus on the body or outcomes, like Alice seeing the future or Jasper controlling emotions can still be used on Bella."

"Oh..." was all I said. Where do I get all of my amazing vocabulary from?

"Jasper was only so surprised by you because you were tired and cold, when normal immortal vampires shouldn't be," Bella said.

"I'm not immortal," I said, "I am favoured by Nyx and she has given me these powers out of love, not because I am forceful. And I will die! Just like a human I will die, but I will be much older than a human," I said defensively.

"Fascinating..." Edward mused, in his own little world by now.

Sam's bellowing laugh made us all jump. "Come on, leeches, get to the point. I am declaring this truce over, so you'd better go tell your fellow bloodsuckers."

"Actually, we have to hunt. Zoey is barely an hour old and you would not want her to take a chunk out of you, I'm sure," said an unfamiliar female voice.

We all turned to look at her. She was wearing a cut-off muddy, blue tank-top that was wet from the stream. She also had on very short khaki cut-off shorts and she was bare foot. From her smooth flowing voice I knew she was the wolf that had communicated with me earlier, that she was Leah.

"I have told Jacob what you plan to do. _He _plans to fight with the Cullens. He won't stick by you Sam. Would you do that to him? _Could _you make him fight his own brothers and best friends?" that's funny, I hadn't heard her leave...

Two wolves in the pack bowed their heads. They looked torn. I guessed that these were Jacob's friends.

"We are not his brothers! He has no friend in us! He has betrayed our trust one too many times! We will fight him whether he likes it or not!"

The two wolves who had their heads bowed snapped them up in disbelief.

"Quil, Embry... I won't make you choose between us, but you are always welcome at our home to come and stay with your brothers and sister," Edward said calmly. He sounded really upset for them. I guess he knew how they were feeling because of the mind-reading thing.

"Thanks," said Leah, never taking her eyes off Sam. She looked hateful... she looked scary.

"I know you like you femininity to be recognised," Edward said. They shared a smile and a glance and then laughed a little, before turning their attention to Sam.

"They will do nothing. They will not leave my side!"

The two wolves, a lanky light grey one and a chunky dark grey, stepped forwards and then turned one-hundred and eighty degrees. They stared Sam in the eye, turned again, and came to stand on either side of me.

"I know this is hard for you both, but please understand that you are free to do as you please, you are welcome to come and go," Edward said sympathetically, his forehead creasing with worry for the creatures, but they just nodded at him and walked into the woods towards the Cullen household.

"This isn't over!" shouted Sam as he turned and exploded into the huge black wolf and turned and ran, followed by the remaining nine wolves.

"Whoa... Time to go hunt!" said Bella excitedly, though she was obviously worried. Renesmee jumped off her back (I hadn't noticed she was there before) and she turned to go into the woods. I suddenly felt a sense of release, of freedom, though I'd been standing in this clearing at my own will to leave.

"Bella was shielding us encase things got out of control," Edward said. I could see him getting very annoying. He laughed. "Thanks, I do usually have that effect on people!"

"Right... Okay, let's hunt." How could Bella stand him? Not knowing what he was going on about all the time...


	4. Chapter 4 : Disappearance

**Disappearance**

I wasn't a very good hunter.

I got the blood all over me, and it was _not _nice. We had elk, in the nearby woods, and I did not have a lot of fun...

We had only gone several kilometres into the woods surrounding the clearing when I picked up a _gorgeous _smell. It was coming from the north, and I stopped immediately. It took a split-second's thought before I sprinted flat-out northwards. I don't think Edward or Bella and Renesmee even noticed at first.

I shot through the woods like a bullet, getting closer and closer to this gorgeous delight. I swerved around trees and rocks and a small creek. I ran through fields with knee-high crops growing in them and a huge clearing with a... baseball pitch...? Marked in the centre, twice the size of a normal one...

Then I reached an opening.

And I stopped.

The delightful smell was coming from first beach, on the Quileute reservation.

The delightful smell was humans.

I was repulsed by myself. I turned and shot back the way I had come, straight into Edward and Bella, Renesmee on Bella's back. Edward lay on top of me pinning me down. And I cried. I was so disgusted with myself, repulsed. I just cried and cried and cried, soaking my top and Edwards before he got off after several minutes. The couple stared at me in awe, occasionally whispering to each other until I'd cried myself out.

I got up with my eyes closed, and when I was sitting, I opened my eyes to find Renesme playing in some fine dirt nearby, but what really worried me was that Edward and Bella were staring at me like I'd just walked on water.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You cried," Edward said as though in disbelief.

"Sorry..." I said, very confused by now. "Should I... not have cried?"

"But you don't understand... vampires can't cry," Bella said warily.

"And they can't sleep, ever."

"Or feel the cold."

"Well maybe I'm not a vampire! Maybe I'm just a glorified human! I don't care, I just care about Nyx! I just want to see my Grandma! I want to go back to Neferet! But no-one cares about me. Not here. I just... I can't stand it... I don't like drinking blood! Okay, so human or vampyre blood is nice, it appeals to me. I don't want to enjoy it, it's disgusting."

"Okay, Zoey it's okay. Stop worrying," Bella said taking my hands and pulling me up into a tight, loving hug.

Bella was cold, but she was bearable, not icy. She was so friendly and accepting I just hugged her back. I couldn't help it, she felt nice. She felt like my Grandma. Our embrace lasted a long time, but I was only half there, and before long I had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

I only had one elk after that, and then I fell asleep again.

And now I found myself in a huge bed with cream covers in a huge room with cream walls. This room was on the east side of the house because the entire back wall was glass.

Esme was sat at the end of the bed and Carlisle was looking at some texst-tubes and he had a huge pile of text books beside him.

"Oh! Zoey, you're awake!" Cried Esme happily, and Carlisle's head snapped up before he was at my side in an instant.

"How do you feel?" He asked, concerned.

"Fine... why wouldn't I...? Shouldn't I?"

"No! Of course not Zoey! We want you to be okay! We're just worried about you; you've been a bit... detached recently." Esme said smiling at me.

"What do you mean recently? I've just been asleep for a bit..." I said, my forehead creasing in confusion.

"Well... Zoey you've been out quite a while... four days in total... and I can't find your kind in any books, you're completely new. You have twenty-six chromosome pairs. There's no one else like you Zoey," Carlisle said, awed. "You are unknown even to me, you are undiscovered until now... you're amazing."

"Why?" I said stupidly.

"Because you're new sweetie, you're special," Esme said with a wide smile.

"I don't want to be special! I want to be me! I'm already special enough! I'm special because of my marks! I'm special because of my powers! I'm special because I'm alive; I'm special again because I'm new! I don't want to be special anymore," I said, a lump rising in the back of my throat while I wiped a few traitor-tears from my shaking cheek.

"Hey, hey! Zoey baby it's okay! Come here," Esme said, pulling me into her arms. I burst into tears. This family was so accepting, so loving towards me, and they didn't even know me. How could I keep complaining like this? It wasn't fair on them. I hugged Esme tightly, wishing, just like I had with Neferet, that she was my mother, that she was that close to me.

"So do we," Edward said suddenly, materialising in the door way and then speeding to sit by me.

"But she is close to you," I whimpered. "You're lucky."

"I know," he took me into his arms for a brief period before shifting away. "I also know you like to feel welcome, and we will be doing our best to make sure you feel that way." Without another word he got up to leave the room.

"Edward?" I said just before he turned out the door. "I'm sorry about what I said before... I know that you and your family are trying your best to care for me, and so Thank you. I appreciate it."

"S'okay." He said quietly, sighing the words.

"Come on then Zoey," Esme said, her amber eyes gleaming, "you must be hungry!"

"No! I'm not, really I'm not... I'm as far from hungry as you could possibly imagine... I... uh..." I tried to think of some excuses not to drink any more blood, but came up with none.

"Hey... we got you some human food," Esme said, obviously concerned for my welfare.

"Um... thanks," I said, though I really did appreciate it.

"Zoey!" cried Renesmee, entering the room suddenly and making me jump.

"Hey," I said quietly.

She touched my cheek, and again I was taken aback.

She showed me pictures of my sleeping body and her thick worry clouded my mind. She also showed me pictures of Rosalie and Emmett having a fight, and Edward joining it, then Bella. Soon the whole family was in a massive argument, Rosalie, Jasper and... Jacob? ...against the others. Then Rosalie left and Renesmee's sadness flooded my mind, and I couldn't stop the tears from brimming over, as her's did all that time before. Then she showed me pictures of her feeding on human blood out of a white cup, and I became acutely aware of her beating heart, of the blood slithering through her veins, and my mouth watered.

I was pinned against the concrete wall above the bed in milliseconds. Edward was staring at me with pure hate and his strong hands closed around my throat cutting off my air supply. Renesme was in Bella's arms, and when Bella looked at me she did not show Edward's hate, she showed relief for her daughter's welfare and worry, directed at me.

"Edward! Stop! You're killing her!" Carlisle shouted from the floor, which seemed quite far below me. He let go of my throat and I fell on the bed. He took Renesme from Bella, and they left together, Renesme and Bella both looking over their shoulders at me with worried faces. They left the room, and I did not see Edward's hateful expression again, thankfully.

I lay on my front, my knees bent and leaning on my right hip, my hands in front of me as supports, as I gagged and choked and vomited in the kidney-dish Carlisle had placed beneath me.

Esme patted my back and held my hair out the way, murmuring that I would be okay in a minute and that there was nothing to worry about, but there clearly was. Edward was their son, he'd never do this. And this was another non-vampire thing. I could see it in Carlisle's helpless face.

I sat back and leant my head on the wall, and then lurched away at a sharp acute pain at the back of my head. I reached back to touch it and my hand reappeared with blood smeared across it. But it wasn't normal blood. It was the sapphire colour of my marks. It covered the intricate pattern on my palm, hiding it completely.

Yet another set of tears brimmed over and rolled down my cheeks, while I shook (though I'm not sure why – I don't think anyone understands teenagers, even sixteen-year-olds) and Esme and Carlisle shared a concerned, worried glance.

What was wrong with me?

I sat curled up on an antique chair in the study, while the family had a debate about what we should do.

I had been a vamp_ire _for exactly seven days now; I had been watching the clock the past few hours while the Cullens argued, frozen in this foetal position in this chair. It wasn't even a very comfortable chair, but I didn't particularly notice, I had learned that I had a lot of time on my hands, and that no vampire really got bored or achy if they did not move for a time. I had so much time that it scared me, because I was immortal: I had eternity.

The family still argued about whether they should go or not, but to be honest, I would agree with Alice: she had not seen the situation ending well, had they gone, and I certainly wouldn't bet against her visions.

However, Esme wanted to go, she wanted to be there, to comfort and support, and Emmett agreed.

Jasper, Alice and Carlisle all thought they should stay. Jacob said they should make up their minds' soon or he would explode. Edward told him "Go then" and he did, phasing once he got down the stairs outside (I could hear and see it through the glass wall).

Edward was at first undecided about what they should do, but he later sided with Alice, saying it would be best to wait.

Bella stood by the glass east wall, Renesmee asleep in her arms, though she was quite big, with her hand on Bella's heart. Bella was listening to her dreams.

"Why is Renesmee so big? She wasn't that big before, she's grown in the past week," I said, never taking my eyes off her, overflowing in Bella's makeshift cradle.

"She is also rare, as you are," Carlisle said matter-of-factly, "She grows around four centimetres a day. She will be fully grown by the age of fifteen, and she will then be immortal, like the rest of us."

"Oh."

Bella stared at me as I stared at Renesmee longingly, and I found myself rubbing my flat stomach. I would never have what Bella had. I was frozen like this forever. A tear escaped my eye and it snaked down my cold cheek.

Bella soon turned away to stare out the window again, listening to Renesmee's dreams. But I did not take my eyes off the little girl. I sat in my dark, wood chair while the argument continued around me.

Carlisle was sat at his desk, which was piled high with books, with the back of his swing chair against it's front. Esme was sat on his lap, her arms around his neck, his around her waist. They looked upon their family: Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Edward, discussing.

Esme still thought it best to go after Rosalie; to track her and bring her home, but Carlisle still thought it best to let her have her freedom.

Emmett was really guilty: apparently it had been him who started the row with Rosalie before she left. But it was not jut his fault. She was unhappy. She wanted a child of her own so badly, she envied Bella. She was unhappy that Emmett did not agree they should adopt a human child, she was upset she did not get any attention and she was upset that I seemed to be cared for more than her.

She had asked Emmett if they could try to adopt a human baby, but he disagreed, he was fed up with her need for a baby. Then it all kicked off, and Rosalie just left.

I sat, in the way. I was not needed in this situation, so I got up to leave them to it.

"Wait, Zoey?" Emmett called me.

"Yeah?"

"Um... I'll go with you, I'm tired of this." The rest of the family were oblivious to this conversation, as they were to us leaving.

We walked slowly through the woods surrounding the house towards the perimeter that the five wolves (Jacob: a russet wolf and the alpha; Embry: a light grey wolf and Jacobs right-hand man; Quil: A dark grey chunky wolf who circled on Jacob's left side; Leah: The girl who had met us in the clearing with Sam; and Seth: A small sandy-coloured wolf who, to his dislike, ran at the back of the pack) circled every day, morning and night. When we reached it, we turned and followed the circle towards the river.

We didn't really say much. I asked him about his and Rosalie's past: She had saved him when he was being mauled by a bear and carried him hundreds of miles so that Carlisle could change him.

She however, had been saved by Carlisle when her drunken (rich) fiancé had beaten her up with his mates, raping and clawing at her, slicing and punching and breaking her skin until she was close to death.

Emmett enjoyed being a vampire. He liked having the strength and speed and he liked his family.

But Rosalie would have preferred to stay human, to fall in love with another of that kind and have children. She would have loved to change the world for the better as a human, and when she was changed she was meant for Edward, but he saw her only as a sister until she found Emmett and he twigged.

Emmett and I had a long chat about the Cullens: Alice found Jasper in a vision when she was a newborn, and they just turned up one day and she asked which room was hers. I laughed. She was so crazy! I loved Alice, I decided.

Edward was kicked into the garage. He didn't like it. I laughed again.

Carlisle had saved Esme when she had jumped off a cliff. She was taken straight to the morgue, though her heart was still beating. Carlisle saved her there and then.

Carlisle saved Edward when he was dying of Spanish influenza in 1918. He was the first Carlisle changed, for company.

Edward had changed Bella. Renesmee grew so fast that she was born in a month of conception, and she beat Bella up from the inside. Bella had broken her spine, and Edward just took Renesme out of her open womb and injected her with venom, straight into her heart. She narrowly made it, but the venom fixed her, and she made the change without a scream, without even a writhe.

Carlisle had changed more than three hundred years ago, when he took over his father's position in the Catholic Church, and went out searching for and hunting vampires. He did not falsely accuse and execute, as his father had, but he really came across a coven of vampires. They attacked him and he changed in silence. He has never killed a single human to this day, but he is a surgeon; he has saved many humans from death, and it brings him happiness still.

We sat down at the river, half-laying on the sloping bank, while we talked and laughed and bonded, getting to know each other so I really did feel welcome, and I finally felt happy here.

Neither my grandma nor Neferet ever crossed my mind.


	5. Chapter 5 : Strategy

**Strategy**

It was hectic. Chaotic. Insane.

We had to plan it, and plan it well. We had no way of avoiding it, so we had to deal with it.

Jacob stood in the living room with us, discussing the strategy. They had to split: three wolves and three vampires and two wolves and four vampires: Jacob, Embry, Seth, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper; Quil, Leah, Esme, Emmett and Edward.

And Me.

Bella was going to look after Renesmee in her and Edward's little cottage, just over the river from the Cullens house.

And I had to fight. Fight well. Fight and live.

But, as displayed once before, I bled. I breathed. I may be living forever as I am now, without changing, but I can die. I would die. I was almost certain of it.

Carlisle and Jacob planned the fight in the clearing, with various voices inputting now and again. My name was mentioned several times, and I was being moved around and paired up and unpaired and switched around and... I was tearing my hair out.

I couldn't fight. I would be hopeless. I didn't want to fight. It was against my nature to even attempt to kill.

"Jasper will teach you how to fight," Edward said absently. He was still wary around me even though Renesme and Bella were perfectly comfortable. Though I preferred him ignoring me, he scared me. He'd nearly killed me, sweet goddess!

"Sorry."

"Uh... okay." And he said nothing.

So I just sat in a foetal position at the very end of the smart cream three-seater sofa, as far away from the table where the men, Esme and Alice planned as possible.

Bella came to sit by me, Renesmee asleep in her arms again.

"You'll be a great fighter," she said reassuringly, though we both knew she didn't mean it.

I nodded in false agreement.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about, we've had to fight before, though I was still human, and Jasper gave us some fighting-master-classes. He and Alice are really funny!" She cried, laughing.

"Oh... right," I said uncaringly.

"Come on, Zoey, you'll be fine," She said comfortingly, putting her free right arm around my shoulders.

I leaned into her, stroking Renesmee's hair with my right hand, my left curling around Bella's back.

"I'm sorry about what I said in the woods... I do feel cared for here... I like it," I said, not meeting her eyes. I was that guilty.

"Hey, that's okay, I like it here too," she said with a smile.

We sat in our embrace without anyone else noticing, until I fell asleep on her shoulder.

I woke up in the same cream-covered bed as before, alone this time. The room was very quiet, and I couldn't hear anyone downstairs either. There was a mirror in the corner of the room, so I walked over to it.

I looked awful. My marks were a dull blue, all across my face, chest and hands. I took off the v-neck top I was wearing, courtesy of Alice, and looked at my back.

The rune-like letters had changed. They had moved. Ever since the time Stevie Rae had died (She had coughed to death like Elliot) my back had been marked like my face, neck and shoulders. There were runes between the swirls, evenly spaced on my back, and they had moved, I swore it.

Whoa.

My hair was like a haystack and I didn't smell too good. There was a shower-room next door so I stripped down and stepped into the comfort of steamy-hot water. I washed my hair and myself, and even found a razor to sort out other stuff.

I wrapped in the towel hanging on the fancy radiator on the wall, and walked into the other room.

There was an outfit, neatly folded on the bed. A pretty little black and dark grey check shirt and a black pinstripe waistcoat with bow-buttons sat perfectly creased, brand new. There was also some gorgeous (everything was obviously designer) black skinny jeans and some amazing black knee-high stiletto boots.

There was even a thick, grey knit cardigan (_Joe Browns_!) though none of the Cullens felt the cold. I dressed quickly and hurried downstairs to find something to eat. As I'd suspected the house was empty.

I looked myself up and down, smiling at how nice the clothes were.

"I knew you'd like them," said a voice suddenly and I gave out a little cry.

"Alice! You scared me!" I said breathlessly.

"They've all gone to talk to the wolves, the ones on our side."

"Oh, okay."

"Anyway, I thought you must be hungry, so I cooked you up a nice big breakfast!"

"Oh, goodness, _thank _you, what are you, psychic?"

"Actually yes, I thought you knew that?"

"Um... oh, yeah," I remembered Edward saying something about that.

I sat down at the huge kitchen table (why did they need a kitchen? They didn't eat that kind of stuff) and asked: "how come you have a kitchen anyway?"

"To fit in. If we had any visitors they'd wonder why we didn't have one. You seem to be enjoying the advantage, anyway."

"Well you're a good cook for someone who doesn't eat," I said, muffled around mouthfuls, but my own expert hearing told me she'd heard me.

She took my left hand and held it, while I scoffed down the food with only a fork in my right.

She smiled at me and, around chipmunk-cheeks, I smiled back. I really did feel welcome here. I guess I was just moaning like a typical teenager when we were in the forest.

When I was finished I helped her clear up, and then we went to meet the others with the wolves. We weaved through the trees and jumped the stream.

I wished we hadn't.

They were bickering. Alice went to stand by Jasper, but she closed her eyes and wore a very serious don't-dare-bother-me-I'm-thinking face.

Alice reopened her eyes after a time. "SHUT-UP!"

Everyone froze.

"Jacob and Jasper are right. We have to face them head on; they're expecting us to go around and try to surprise them, so they'll be waiting there. One of our teams needs to come from the north and one from the south."

"No, one team can face them head on and the other can form a circle and surround them," Embry said.

"But then we have to split up! I am NOT going to jeopardise my family!" Esme cried. She sounded tearful, but she didn't cry.

"Honey, we need to do what's best for everyone, quickly enough, though, so that we can find Rosalie," Carlisle countered.

"Vampires can't hurt, remember? It's just you," Edward whispered, appearing by my left shoulder. "I'm sorry about before, what I did was unforgivable. I'm not used to someone who doesn't... who isn't immortal, not since Bella was human and now she's not I forget."

"Not quite unforgivable," I whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Thank you," he said simply, "I'm just... very... protective."

"I noticed," I said coldly, rubbing my throat where the purple bruising hid my marks (which annoyed me – I liked to show off my marks) just as well as my blood had. Indigo blood... I shuddered at the memory. That was caused by him, too, I remembered. But I was over that now. I didn't care.

"Thank you again."

"Zoey what do you think?" Carlisle asked me suddenly.

"Uh..." I said brilliantly. "Um, I think... we should stick together...? Without me?"

"Zoey, you don't need to worry, we won't let anything hurt you," Esme said softly.

"Maybe so, but I can't fight! I'll be more of a hindrance than a help," I said helplessly.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to fight," Jasper said absently. He was holding Alice tightly, and she clutched him back, because he was too scared to let her go, I'm sure.

"Oh." I said.

I looked around the circle of people (and wolves). Jasper held Alice lovingly; Carlisle and Esme embraced, Edward and Bella were barely millimetres apart. Renesme Slept on Jacob's hip, Leah stood half-hugging her brother, holding hands with Embry, Quil's hands on her shoulders. Everyone was so close.

Suddenly, I felt vary alone and vulnerable. I stood behind both families and took several steps back until I hit a tree. I sank down while they continued to argue about whether or not it was best for the family's welfare to go around or go head-on. Here, I picked at a small patch of grass and drew in the dirt like a young child, until Emmett sat by me. My head snapped up and I turned to see the family oblivious to Emmett's absence.

"You looked a little lonely," he said.

It was like he had some strange power over me: I found myself telling him the complete truth, though I didn't want to, not really. "Well, all you guys have your girl. You have your family. Even the wolves are content with each other. I don't have anyone, not really. My family and my friends and my High Priestess Neferet and my Grandma are all halfway across America," I started to cry towards the end, and my voice broke on 'Neferet' and 'Grandma'.

"Hey, hey! S'Okay! You have us; you're one of the family!"

That really made me cry. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that," I said around sobs.

"Don't mention it!" he said, taking me into his arms. I cried even harder. I didn't realise until now how much I missed my family.

Suddenly, I was surrounded. All but the wolves were situated around my tree, comforting me; Emmett on my left, Alice on my right and Esme in front, holding both of my hands.

Everyone was trying so hard to make me feel welcome... too hard. It was overwhelming how much fuss I was getting, and I just didn't want the attention. Back home in Tulsa, my friends helped me out then left me to it. They knew I liked to be alone.

So I ran.

I ran and ran and ran. Out of the forest, away from the family, the wolves. I ran to Port Angeles, to Seattle. I ran in circles. I ran as fast as I could, confusing my trail by following that of other vampires if I found any. I think I may have run over the Canadian Border. I just ran, with no direction.

The sun began to set and I slowed. It was Twilight. Twilight was the best time for vampires. Then it started to rain. Could my day get any worse? I was homesick, I was lost, I was tired and I was cold. I started to retrace my trail south, jogging so I was as slow as a human sprinter.

"Give her time, she'll come back..."

I stopped instantly.

Carlisle's voice echoed around my mind.

"She'll be fine, leave her be!" Edward cried.

He was angry with me. How did I know that? How was I hearing things?

"I trust her. She can take care of herself," Alice said reassuringly.

"I'm sure she can, too," Esme said.

"But..." Bella. She was worried about me. It brought tears to my eyes.

"When is Zoey coming back?" Renesmee asked.

"Yeah, she could be gone for days!" Emmett shouted, he was sick with worry.

"Just leave her, I promise she'll be fine, I've seen it," Alice said, and they left. There was just Emmett, Bella and Renesmee, worrying about me with Edward waiting by.

The scene in my head flashed and faltered, then disappeared completely. I had actually seen a conversation. I had heard it, though I was miles and miles away. It had felt as though I was there, I was in the room with them. But they had not seen me. This scared me, and I began to run. I ran south, towards the Cullen's house.

Towards home.


	6. Chapter 6 : Discovery

**Discovery**

I was very scared. I was terrified. I was shaking with fear.

I was in a cabin. Wooden, painted red on the outside. I was in a closet-like room, tiny. There was a double bed that took up 90% of the room. There was barely enough space to move around the edges.

I was squeezed into the corner under the window, as far away from the door as possible. I barely had room to breathe, but I stayed there, unmoving and silent.

Someone came in. "Come on," they said. So I went.

I struggled out of the corner and climbed over the bed to follow him into another tiny room with a small old-fashioned telly and a faded two-seater sofa.

The bronze man sat down. "So..." said Sam, the leader of our opposition.

"What do you know about the Cullens' strategy?" asked another, a big, angry-looking one.

I was too frightened to say anything. I stood still, my feet together and my right hand resting on my left elbow.

"WELL! What are they up to!" the angry one asked. I flinched back and bumped into the back wall.

"Calm down, Paul," said an old wise voice. "Now, Zoey, we would simply like to know what the Cullens and the other wolves are planning so we can settle the matter without killing them and let you go. So what do you know?"

"Uh... I-I d-don't... know an-nything..." I stammered, tripping over the words.

"LIAR!" burst out the angry one, Paul.

"Paul!" two voices cried together; Sam and the old man.

He was in a wheelchair, the old man, and his broad, native face overflowed, his cheeks resting on his wide shoulders. "Now," he continued, "if you don't know anything, tell us why." He was obviously trying to sway me, but I had already though about this.

"I'm n-not fighting. And, I can sleep. Vampires can't u-usually s-sleep b-b-but I can, so I was p-prob-bab-bly asleep. I was unc-concious for a c-couple of d-days," I stammered again.

"Right," said the old man, disbelievingly and irritably.

"Who-who are you?"

"I'm Billy Black," he paused uncomfortably, "I'm Jacob's father."

I couldn't help myself. I shouted. "How could you do this to him? How could you go against your own son? HOW COULD YOU HURT HIM?"

The angry one, Paul, who had been shaking and convulsing throughout my outburst, exploded into a huge ball of fur, taking up most of the small room, and hit me. The strike slashed halfway across my chest reopening an old scar so that it split all the way across my chest.

And I bled. A lot.

The Quileute's couldn't hinder the bleeding, though they redressed it every two hours, and I grew weaker and weaker. I ended up having to drink the blood I'd lost (and that is not nice when you think about it: in principle) to regain my strength, but it still slipped away, seeming just out of reach.

I hated it on the Quileute reservation. There was no homey feel, no welcoming atmosphere, not like with the Cullen's house. It was empty. There was no happiness, nothing but the air I breathed.

But while I was there, I continued to hear voices.

Those I loved.

It confused me at first. I had never really loved anybody, nor had anybody ever loved me, but it did not make me feel good. It confused me. It drilled through my mind. Love. How should... could... I love?

It was the Cullens. I really heard them, having conversations about me. How they would save me. How they felt about me.

And Neferet. I was most surprised to hear her voice. She cried. She cried every night. It saddened me so much, to hear her cry for me. And it happened every night, without fail. Grandma was calmer, but I still heard her worry and fret when she met with Neferet, or when she farmed the lavender ready for shipping, and she could smell it at night. She woke and prayed for me, for her 'Zoeybird'.

So I wandered around the reservation day after day, bleeding out. Before long I was bedridden and could no longer eat or drink. Anything that went inside me didn't stay there, and the blood just kept coming and coming and it would not stop. After four days I was pale white and ice cold, and the bleeding started to slow.

This was a bad sign.

On that fourth night, I heard the Cullens conferring, deciding which way of rescue was best. Carlisle thought about sneaking up in the night, but Emmett (who worried most for some reason...) thought they would know that the Cullen had crossed, and would track them down. He thought they should go early morning as quickly as possible (no creeping as Carlisle suggested (typical)) and just grab me.

Whatever they decided I hoped they did it soon. By day five I had lost all of my senses, and my limbs up to my elbows and knees were completely white, almost blue. Chalky pale. Ice cold. Dying.

Then they appeared.

Apparently.

I woke up in that king size bed I was all too familiar with, sitting bolt upright.

Then Emmett mystically appeared above me and I laid back and screamed. There was no sound. There was just the screeching and rasping of my throat.

"Hey, hey!" Emmett calmed and soothed, until I turned my head sideways, coughing and spluttering and choking on the dryness of my windpipe.

"It's okay!" he said, whispering and murmuring sweet nothings to calm me down and stop my spasm.

When I eventually calmed down, he pulled me into his arms, with my legs over his left arm and my back resting against his right. He held me there while I cried out of shock, until I stopped, then he set me down on the bed so we were facing each other, inches apart.

"You're awake," he said quietly (for him).

"No, I'm actually sleep-talking... and crying and choking."

"But of course."

"Naturally," I said raising my eyebrows and we burst out laughing, but it hurt my chest so I ended up coughing again, and Emmett patted my back to help me.

"How long was I out this time?" I asked warily.

"About a week, but Carlisle had to operate, so that's not surprising," he said, looking down as though my pain hurt him, like we were connected.

I pulled forwards my pyjama top to find a neat white bandage and tape covering my cut. It formed a sort of vest, making me look like a mummy from the base of my neck to the bottom of my ribs.

"I'm so sorry," he said, sounding as though he might cry.

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault."

He took me in and held me in a soft, tender embrace, keeping me there like he'd never let me go. He held me like this for a long time; he was comfortable, if a little cold.

Then he pulled us apart, holding me at arm's length. His eyes locked on mine and we stared at each other in a silent, heart-wrenching moment.

And we kissed.

He kissed me softly, yet passionately; gently, yet lovingly; lightly, yet heavily. It was perfect. Before I knew it I had latched onto him, my fingers tangling in his hair, and my body pressing against his, rather... implicating... ly.

I think we may have kissed for quite a while, but we gradually pulled away, in perfect synchronisation with each other.

I smiled, and let out a little giggle. He smiled back and chuckled. There was a short pause, and we erupted into a huge fit of laughter, throwing back our heads and rolling all over the bed, until we ended up pressed together, stomach to stomach, on the huge, cream, king-size bed.

I kissed him tentatively, but he laughed and pulled me close, kissing me roughly, holding me close to him by the small of my back and the base of my neck. He rolled on top of me, but he carried on rolling and fell off the bed. I burst out laughing. What a loose nut!

It was a VERY long time before either of us was calm enough to speak, but eventually he asked if I'd like to go hunt.

I agreed, and we ventured out into the surrounding woods, that were becoming more familiar by the day.

At least I wasn't on that dump of a reservation with a bunch of angry, hormonal, teenage werewolves.

As we hunted (still messily) some elk in the woods, I heard the voices again, and froze.

"I'm worried about her. She's struggling. I mean she nearly died from a cut, how can we put her against some werewolves?" It was Carlisle.

"We need her! She's still fast and she's still strong!" Jasper.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked softly, bringing me back to earth. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Um… something like that, I guess…" I drifted off, listening in on the Cullens' conversation again.

"You saw what Edward did to her, what the wolves did! She can get hurt, she can die! She's not like us and it's our job to protect her!" Carlisle. It brought tears to my eyes to know how much he cared for me, though he'd only known me for a short while.

"Zoey? What's the matter?" Emmett sounded very concerned and worried about me, which made a few traitor tears spill over.

"I… don't think I'm crazy, okay? Just… I hear things. I keep hearing voices. The voices of your family, and of my family back home."

"Really… you hear people's thoughts?"

"No… I can listen in on conversations where they're worried about me, where they're unhappy."

"I think you may have a special power!" he was glowing. He was truly delighted for me. I wasn't.

"Why is this such a good thing? I mean… isn't it like eavesdropping?"

"You can hear voices! I mean… It's your own special gift," he said, beaming again.

"They're worried about me. Carlisle says I can't fight… I'll get hurt-"

"You will! He's right! You can't fight a bunch of wolves, they'll kill you!"

"But Jasper thinks I should. He says I'm super fast and super strong, and I should be able to handle it."

"No. No, I won't let you!"

"Emmett, it's okay, calm down."

"But they'll hurt you, Zoey," He said, sounding close to tears.

"I…" would they? Could I do it? Did I want to do it? "Um… I…"

"Hey, it's okay, we'll figure something out," he said consolingly, though he sounded unsure.

And so we continued with our hunt, and I even found a mountain lion – carnivores are much nicer than plant eaters. They drink the same blood we need, and it tastes a lot better, too.

Neither of us said a word on the subject as we finished and went back to the house.

Once we got in, Emmett went upstairs as I stayed down, preparing another meal for myself – a human one (I didn't drink much blood – Emmett had the bulk).

I sat on the comfy cream couch while everyone else bustled about doing their own thing: Alice was arranging flowers in to twinkling crystal vases; Esme was polishing all the shiny surfaces; Bella was playing a game with Renesme and Edward; Emmett was upstairs; Jasper was out and Carlisle was sat at the computer.

"It's not such a bad thing, you know."

I let out a small yelp as I jumped at the sound of his voice.

"What's not, Edward?"

"Your power, your gift. It's a good thing."

"I'm not so sure."

"Hey," Bella said walking over, Renesmee on her hip. "What's the matter? You look upset."

"I just-"

"She-"

"Shut up, Edward," said Bella in an exasperated tone.

I felt a strange sense of security and safety around me very suddenly, then Edward rolled his eyes, grinning, and walked away.

"Okay, So," Bella said, comfortable in our little bubble.

"What did you just do?" I asked, amazed.

"Oh, it's my power. I'm a shield, and I've learnt to push it away and protect other people as well."

"Oh."I remembered what Edward had told me a while before. "Yeah."

She laughed. "Hey, it's okay," I wished people would stop saying that! "A gift is a good thing. I managed to save Renesmee from the Volturi, along with many witnesses. It was pretty scary, but there were so many of us the Volturi stopped, and my power kept the 'terrible twins' out."

"Who?"

"The terrible twins, Jane can trick your mind into feeling the most excruciating pain, and Alec can take away all your senses, so you're an easy target. As you may have guessed, they're twins."

"Oh, right."

She laughed again. "They didn't look very pleased!" I laughed with her. "So, what I'm trying to say is, this is a good thing. You're sp-"

"Where's Rosalie?" I interrupted. Admittedly, I wasn't doing too well with the conversation thing anyway, but I didn't want her to say that word. I may have exploded, and I didn't want to hurt her.

"Oh. Uhh... she's gone away for a while, on a sort-of holiday."

"Why?"

"She..." she looked up at me, and a feeling of trust shifted between us. Suddenly, I knew she wasn't lying. "She's upset. She wants a child of her own, a child like Renesmee. She wants to adopt 'cause vampires can't have kids, but Emmett doesn't want that. So she left in a rage. A huge rage."

I instinctively rubbed my stomach. Oh, yeah, I knew this. "Sorry... I think I got anaesthetic amnesia."

She laughed and looked down at the hand on my belly. "Don't worry, with all you can do, I'm sure you'll manage well in that department!"

I laughed half-heartedly.

"So, what I'm saying is, you're special, Zoey. You-"

"I don't want to be special anymore!" I shouted, jumping to my feet and alerting the whole family. I even heard Emmett hold still upstairs.

"I'm done with it! I'm special because I've got strange marks, because I saved people, because I'm a new species! I don't want to be any more special than I already am! I want to be normal! I wish I never even got marked!" and I stormed out of the house, my cheeks burning, angry tears in my eyes.

I walked to the river and sat alone, where I had sat with Emmett before. And I cried.

"I'm sorry, Nyx," I said aloud. "I'm glad I got marked. I'm supposed to be special, I know. I love you. I just miss my home. I miss my high priestess, Neferet. I miss my grandma and all my friends. I miss being close to you. I just... I thought I couldn't _be_ any more special."

The water in front of me rippled, and Nyx appeared in my reflection. "Trust in yourself Zoeybird. You are close to me always, and right now you need your new friends. They love you, and I know you love them, too. Believe in yourself, Zoeybird."

"But, Nyx, I-" I tried to talk to her image, but it rippled and became my reflection again.

I knew she was right, and when I saw her fade into me, I knew she trusted me, and so I trusted myself from then on. I believed in my Goddess, as she believes in me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Decision**

"Hey," called a voice I was very familiar with now, as I sat on the cool, grassy bank.

"Hi," I said as he came to sit beside me.

"You are special. I know you may not like that, but you're special in a good way. Your goddess believes in you. We all do" said Emmett, taking my hand.

I leaned into him. "I know. Nyx told me so. She told me to believe in myself."

"Then she's a wise woman. When did you… uh… talk to her…?" He asked warily.

"You think I'm crazy."

"I don't."

"I saw her in the river, in my own reflection."

"We love you, you know. You're a Cullen, a member of the family."

I suddenly felt torn. I loved the Cullens, too. I wanted to stay with them. But I also wanted to go home. I wanted to go back to the Tulsa House of Night, go back to Neferet and Grandma.

Speaking of them, I'd heard Neferet and Grandma worrying about me, but not once my own mother and her stupid husband. A sudden uncontrollable anger bubbled up in me and I knew I had to get away before I hurt Emmett. Sometimes words can hurt a lot. I would know, from my history of being 'special'. Generally that is begging for at least a few bullies.

"I have to go," I said abruptly.

"What? But-" I stood as he spoke.

"Pease? I need some time alone. I don't want to hurt you. Please don't worry about me, my head hurts enough already." And I ran. Much like I had before, I ran, but I did not go nearly as far, and I found myself in a small bay without any visitors. This bay neighboured the Quileute First Beach, I later discovered.

I stayed in the bay for a long time, thinking about things; Home, Nyx, Neferet, the Cullens, the Wolves. What was I going to do?

I couldn't run away, that would hurt the Cullens, especially Emmett. But did I care…? Did I care especially for Emmett…?

No, not especially... It was just one kiss...But I couldn't do it.

But I also couldn't fight. I bled. I could die. I may have been strong and fast, but I couldn't fight. I didn't know how, for a start, and I was much too vulnerable.

There was no living soul on the beach in the bay. Not one person. Nobody could see me.

I walked over to a nearby tree and grabbed at the root. Then I decided I could not hurt my fourth element, and went for a large rock instead. I could lift it, I could throw it. But-

Earth! Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Spirit! Of Course! My elements! I could easily fight to save my new friends, my new family.

New family… I didn't want a new family. I liked my old one, back at the house of night… No more thoughts on that subject, then.

I ran back to the house and burst through the huge double doors. "I'll fight." I said simply and clearly.

"But you can't!" Esme cried, worry clouding her beautiful features. "They'll kill you!"

"They won't." I said surely, "I have my elements. I can defeat evil spirits and death itself. I saved my best friends from a cloaked spirit on Halloween night, I defeated Spirit Raven Mockers and I lived. I figured it out. I can do this." I sounded very confident, but inside I was quivering.

"But… wait, what are raven mockers?" Carlisle said questioningly.

"They are evil spirits that haunted the Cherokees for many years. The Cherokees are mine and my Grandma's tribe. The Raven Mockers' leader, Kalona hurt many people and abused his power. A stone maiden, Aya, was given life, and she led the sex-crazed devil into a cave, where he was weakest, the earth. The raven mockers are his children – borne by raped Cherokee women."

The sense of Earth tickled inside me, and I smelt freshly cut grass. I giggled. "Air will help me." I flicked a finger, and a light, sweet-smelling breeze tousled the family's hair. "As will water," a salty-sea smell floated in on the breeze and the sound of waves could be heard. "Fire will stand beside me." The entire room heated suddenly, making it almost unbearable. "Earth will lead me," the room was filled with the scent of pollen floating on a summer breeze, and I felt the soft, dampness of grass under my feet. "And Spirit. Spirit will be my guide. My spirit is intertwined with that of Nyx, and she will lead me. I know it." A familiar lifting felling rippled through me, and I felt the wings of my spirit leap and surround the family, keeping them safe. "I can do this."

"Of course," said Jasper. "We'll need you. I'll teach you to fight. Come on!" He said, addressing the whole family now. "Let's go to the clearing. We'll teach her now."

I yawned massively, exhausted after my long run and controlling the elements.

"Jasper…?" Carlisle said, and he raised a hand, gesturing towards my gaping mouth. "She must sleep, first."

"Oh, right. Of course," he said, and you could've seen a light-bulb appear above his head. "Sorry, I forgot."

"S'Okay," I said, barely able to speak or stand. Well this was sudden. I wasn't tired two minutes ago. How odd.

"Um… night everyone," I said, dragging my feet up the stairs. A variation of 'Good-night's followed after me, before I turned for my room.

Emmett was on the huge bed when I walked in, reading a copy of _Romeo and Juliet. _I lay down on the other side of him, too tired to get changed. He pulled the quilt over me, and then he hugged me close with it between us.

He wrapped me up into a cocoon, and then pulled me onto his lap. He kissed me passionately, and he closed his eyes. I did, too, wanting to preserve the moment as long as possible. Then a thought struck me; a thought screaming at me that this was wrong. I pulled away.

"What about Rosalie?" I asked, too defeated to look him in the eye.

He didn't answer the question. Instead he pulled up my chin ever-so-gently and kissed me more. I kissed him back, more confident than I had ever been. I moved to fit him, and soon I was laying on top of him, perfectly moulded to his burly figure. We kissed romantically, fiercely, passionately. We moved in time with each other suggestively (don't even go there), the quilt forgotten. It lay in a crumpled heap, spilling from the bed onto the floor, while Emmett and I did not stop.

Far from it.

I awoke the next morning in the huge bed, the quilt on top of me comfortingly. Scratch that. I awoke the next _afternoon. _A small pressure was placed on my thighs through the quilt. I looked up.

"Good morning," Emmett said, placing down a breakfast tray of waffles, croissants, cake and chocolate sauce.

"Yum!" I exclaimed, and dug in. I drank six glasses of chocolate milk, beating my record of four and a half.

"Wow. You sure were hungry… and thirsty…" Emmet said when I had finished.

I laughed. "Yeah."

He took the tray and I sat up properly, stretching my arms and legs, my sleepy eyes closed.

Emmett kissed me softly and, once again, I kissed him back bravely, cupping his cheek in my right hand, my left tangling in his hair.

He lifted me so that I was curled around his waist, and he stood up. He swirled me around as we kissed.

He tripped suddenly on the quilt, which was piled up on the thick, cream carpet. I was flung back on to the bed, which provided me with a comfortable landing, but when I looked down, Emmett was nowhere to be seen. I looked around from my position on the bed.

"Emmett?" I called.

"Raaaarww!" He shouted from behind me, making me jump. I looked round sharply, to find him midair, about to jump on where I _was_.

He continued flying, landed with a 'thump!' and continued rolling. And Rolling. He ended up upside-down, with his legs over his head, touching the floor in front of his head and his back against the wall, perfectly parked between the dresser and the bookshelf.

We laughed.

A lot; we laughed a lot.

I laughed so much I fell off the bed, too, landing at his heels, which moved as he uncurled from the uncomfortable position. We laughed and laughed and laughed, writhing and crying and squirming as a result. Well, I cried, Emmett didn't. He didn't really move either; as vampires didn't really need it. That didn't surprise me now I thought about it, given the lack of sleep etcetera, etcetera. Although, I was in no place to ponder, I looked drunk – and I felt it, too. I even had the hiccups from laughing so much.

Emmett and I laughed more and more, replaying the event over and over in our heads, until we were stopped suddenly by another person's laughter, a male's.

We looked up to see Edward in the doorway, his sleek hair wildly waving upwards, obviously laughing at our thoughts; the scene replaying in our minds. Bella was standing behind him, snickering at us. We were lying next to each 0other, me on my front with my arms out in front and my legs bent up; Emmett on his back, looking up at Edward.

"What's so funny?" she asked, giggling.

"Well, Emmett... and the..." and Emmett and I were laughing again. We just saw Edward tell Bella the story through our tearful eyes, and she started laughing with us.

After a time, we stopped. My sides were hurting and I was drenched all over, tears drenching my face, sweat dripping all down me. I sat up to find the whole family standing in the room around the doorway.

"Um..." I said, obviously and they began laughing, quietly, shaking their heads. "Where's Renesmee?" I asked, finally noticing her absence.

"Oh..."

"Uh..."

"Um..."

"Err..."

"Well..."

I got a variation of replies, no one actually speaking. Blimey. I was rubbing off on them. Well, I had to teach someone correct English.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"She's not going to be here for a while..." Jasper said mysteriously, and a wave of calm and reassurance came over me, resting on my shoulders and rolling down around me.

"Where is she?" I asked, purely out of curiosity, not worried anymore.

"She's at the reservation," Carlisle said simply.

I froze.

And then I was uncontrollable, unstoppable. Unbearable.

I screamed. I wasn't even making any sense.

"WHAT? HOW? WHY? YOU KNOW WHAT- THOSE THINGS! THEY'LL KILL HER! WHY AREN'T YOU- WE NEED TO GO AND GET HER! THEY'LL- REN- HURT HER! WE NEED TO- NOW!"

"Zoey!" It seemed everyone screamed at me all at once.

I was grabbed, hugged, calmed. I was screaming and thrashing, aiming to leave and retrieve the little girl now.

"Zoey! Jacob's visiting his family. Both of his sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, are home for the first time in years. Renesmee's gone with him, to meet them. One of them has imprinted with Paul, and the other's married in Hawaii. Jacob... just wanted Renesmee to meet them," Jasper soothed me through his speech, using his power to manipulate my emotions.

"But... But they'll..." I started crying uncontrollably, reaching out to get away and find the little girl, my little niece.

"Go away! This is a girl thing!" Bella was shouting at everyone, shooing them off.

One hand remained on my shoulder, while the other belonging to that person was around my waist. The hands were shaking with worry.

"Emmett..." Esme said. "She'll be okay. Bella's right, leave it to us girls."

Emmett whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek and hugging me close. I didn't know what to make of what he said.

When Emmett left, Esme took me into her arms and sat me on her lap. Bella sat beside her, playing with my hair and leaning on her mum, hugging my shoulders.

And they just sat there, letting me shake them with my sobs and ruin Esme's shirt with salty water.

It seemed like hours I cried, and it could've been. I'd actually forgotten about the small child quite quickly; I just cried about nothing, everything.

When I was finally done I sat up. Esme looked at me worryingly and then she took me into her arms. Bella, too, hugged me and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes during each. I was so grateful to them both.

"Now, are you okay, sweetie?" Esme asked; her face a statue of an angel, twisted with worry.

"Yeah, I-*Hic*-I'm fine," I said weakly, hiccupping in the middle.

"Are you sure, Z?" Bella asked. That was what my friends at the house of night used to call me. 'Z', pronounced like 'Zee'.

"Uh... I think so..." I let out a strained giggle.

Bella hugged me again.

We went downstairs, each of them holding one of my hands. They got me some human food (they were stocked up for me now) to eat and sat beside me. Everyone else had gone hunting – Alice had left a note in her elegant script:

We have gone hunting further up North. We'll be back before Nightfall.

Love you, get better, Zoey.

As I ate, Bella spoke on the phone and Esme cleaned the oven.

I slept fitfully that night, waking often throughout my ever-changing dreams. At one point I woke up screaming it was so bad, and, of course, everyone materialised to comfort me.

In the dream, I was in the little room where I'd been cut, Renesmee's body hanging from the ceiling, me being surrounded by wolves. The big black one, Sam, raised a paw to hit me, and I screamed, that was when I woke up, sweat trickling down my forehead, screaming uncontrollably.

Esme was the first to me; maternal instinct, I was sure. She just hugged me, holding me close and letting me ruin a second shirt with my salty tears. When I calmed down, the sky was starting to brighten, the sun crawling it's way up the horizon.

The family left me to get changed, but I only dressed in a pair of comfy sweats and a designer tee shirt I found.

I went downstairs to sit with the family while they did their daily chores, but I ended up helping them. I felt uncomfortable, them taking such good care of me and me giving nothing back. I helped Esme in the kitchen first, but then I did 'clothes hiding' with Bella.

Okay, confusing right? Well, it turns out that if you particularly like an item of clothing, you have to find a really good hiding place, to prevent Alice from replacing it. Bella has to do this daily. As I am writing – she must still do it.

I did not stop shaking from my dream until lunchtime (for humans), it feared me that much.

As I worked in the kitchen I hummed an old favourite of mine. _Decode_ by _Paramore_, who are, for your information, one of the best bands ever. So I'm opinionated, whatever!

I hummed the tune in a new, sparkly voice. I could practically see the glittery notes floating around me. Hmm... Well this was a nice improvement. I smiled at my vain thought, which made the notes even sweeter. Finally! Something vampirish that I was good at!

"You have a lovely voice," Esme said smiling at me warmly.

"Thanks," I said beaming. I continued my little melody, and when I was done, began another, a song called _satellite heart _by Anya Marina, singing properly this time. She has great hair.

I blurred upstairs to Bella still singing. I found her ankles poking out from under my bed. I slid under, lying next to her. We were both lying on our backs, and I soon understood why. I laughed.

I grabbed a shirt off of the pile of wanted clothes and slid it under the slats.

"So, this your favourite hiding place?" I asked looking at the lightly crooked slats.

"Yeah," yeah said laughing slightly.

"How do you avoid Alice seeing it?" I asked, puzzled.

"Well, she only really sees what she wants to, skimming time for threats and stuff. Clothes, although VERY important to her and replaced every day by her, literally, she probably just doesn't bother with."

"Oh, right," I said nonchalantly, resuming my song.

"Hey you're a really good singer," She said after a while.

I smiled. "Thanks, Esme said that, too," I said, trying not to boast.

"Yeah, she's polite at everything. A sensitive soul, but one of the loveliest people I've ever met."

"Will I live forever?" I asked suddenly. Well, that was odd. I hadn't even thought about saying it.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What about my family?" I asked worriedly.

"Um... my mum and dad are still around. I've only been like this about six months."

"Oh. I bet it must've really hurt to have that taken away from you, especially when you had no idea what was going on."

"Actually, uh... Well, I knew about vampires before I was one. I fell in love with Edward before I was one. And we _conceived _Renesmee before I was one."

"Wait- how does that work?"

Bella told me a very long story. She and Edward had... on their honeymoon, and the baby grew at a rapid rate. She wouldn't let anyone get rid of it, and Edward was really unhappy. Bella had to drink human blood to nourish her baby, but twisting, she broke her spine, and Edward delivered the baby and injected Bella with vampire venom, straight into her heart, single-handedly, though Rosalie took the Baby. I remembered being told the last part.

"Why did Rosalie leave?" I asked. I had asked this of Emmett, I thought... or someone at least, but I wanted to know properly, or to refresh my memory.

"She's jealous of humans, of everything they have. She wants a child of her own, but Emmett won't adopt a human baby, said it would break he heart when it died older than she'll ever be, that she may be jealous of it. Rosalie begged him all the time and one day he just snapped, and shouted at her. I've never seen the ice queen so scared,"-she smiled at the name 'ice queen'-"but she was then. She was terrified of losing Emmett, and she ran away so she didn't do any more damage."

"I think that's, like my third time of asking, but how do you know so much about it, anyway?"

"Edward – thoughts."

"Oh, yeah."

I liked Bella, and I was glad I finally got some detailed information. Renesmee was worth fighting for, I knew that. But the amount of pain – emotional and physical – Bella went through for her brought tears to my eyes.

We finished and slithered out from beneath the bed to find Emmett there looking a little sorrowful.

Bella laid her hand on his shoulder and left the room.

"I'm sorry," I said, and I was.

"It's not your fault. I shouted at her. It's the one thing she wants most in the world."

"D'you miss her?"

"Yeah, sorta... it's kinda hard to explain how I feel... I don't think I know myself at the moment."

"I would – miss her, I mean. But I guess I would be torn, too."

"Um... yeah."

"Emmett?"

"I just... I don't live in the past, okay? Please don't worry about us."

"Okay... S'Okay."

"Thanks."

He took me into a deep embrace, and he stroked and kissed my hair repeatedly.

When he finally broke us apart, he held me at arms' length and looked me up and down as though he was examining me.

After a couple of minutes or so, he cracked a smile, laughed and kissed me deeply. I smiled through the kiss, laughter muffled by his mouth over mine.

He lost his balance rather suddenly, and went flying back, leaving me kneeling in front of the bed. I burst out laughing.

I thought I heard a whisper of movement by the door, but when I looked around nothing was there.

"Teach you to laugh at me!" Emmett growled playfully.

He leapt at me, lifting me on to the bed and twisting and turning so that, eventually, he ended up on top of me, his arms around my neck, kissing me again. I wrapped my arms around his back, holding him close.

I waited until he loosened one hand, then I moved sharply, dragging him with me. We wrestled and fought, but I managed to finish up on top of him, pinning him to the bed. We laughed and laughed until my arms weakened and I flopped onto his chest and rolled to the side, so I was lying next to Emmett on his huge arm.

"Hey, babe," A beautiful blonde said, appearing in the doorway.


	8. Chapter 8

Dilemma

I couldn't concentrate in my first hour. It was sociology with professor Neferet (how creepy – the name! It brought tears to my eyes – she even looked sort of like her!) and I just could not focus.

And I was scared out of my life.

By my fifth and last hour, Equestrian studies with Lenobia (she believed that the name of the goddess Nyx's close associate was enough – no Prof needed.) I still couldn't concentrate. I found it really cool that Lenobia was a teacher in a real school – not a House of Night, but straight after the lesson I took off my flesh-coloured gloves and showed her the marks on my palm.

I was not happy, so all I did was hold up the palm, not saying anything, or even smiling.

She gasped. "Zoey Redbird." I dropped my palm. My odd marks were widely known, obviously.

Lenobia wiped the special Vampyre concealer off her face to reveal amazing marks that looked like horses plunging into water, creating beautiful swirls around her eyes. I walked away, too distracted and worried and scared to care.

"Zoey? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said briskly, leaving the room and practically running from the school grounds. I decided on the way that I hated Forks High School.

The scene after Emmett and I kissed kept replaying in my mind until I felt sick with worry and wanted to cry I was so scared. I ducked into the woods across from the gates and when I was far enough in I began to run.

When I got close to the house, just a little way up the river, I stopped and sat on the grass. I was surrounded by most of my elements – Earth, Water and Air. I picked up a dry twig and lit it with my bare fingers. There was fire. But I could not conjure spirit, and I did not know how.

Rosalie was furious. With me. With Emmett. With everyone.

The scene replayed in my mind again, and I leant back against a big oak.

Emmett jumped as she appeared, perfectly blonde and perfectly beautiful. He'd been caught red-handed, another girl in his arms. And I had a faint idea of what that whisper I heard earlier was, too.

"Glad to know you missed me."

"Rose?"

"You're not usually this slow. Tongue-tied?"

"Well... It's just... I mean... What a surprise... to see you..."

"I'm sure it is."

"Um... Hey Rose," I said nervously.

"It's Rosalie to you, you worthless bitch."

"Oh... uh, sorry... Rosalie."

"So, _babe, _whatever have you been up to while I was gone?"

"I... uh..."

"We've been... hanging out..." I said helpfully.

"Sure you have, bitch."

"It's Zoey... to you."

"I don't f**king care bitch!"

"Hey!" Emmett yelled. Uh-oh.

"'Hey' what? Huh?"

"Rose-"

"What! I mean what the Hell, Emmett! We're supposed to be married!"

"And we are, I just... I didn't think you'd be back at all. Zoey was there for me."

"What, so you thought you'd just get with her? Just use her as a replacement?"

"No!" I shouted, before I could stop myself. "It wasn't like that!"

"What was it like, then, bitch!"

I was taken aback. It was like that, wasn't it? I was a replacement.

"I... Uh-"

"Exactly! It was like that!"

"Rose," Emmett said, slurring her name down at the end as if he were fed up, as if this were typical.

"No! Shut up! Neither of you can think of a good excuse so why don't you just tell me the truth about that slut?"

"She is not a slut! Yeah, it was like that. You left over the same shit as always, you'd had enough, blah, blah, it was all you wanted, blah, blah, didn't I love you, etc, etc. Come on Rosalie it's your fault!"

Rosalie looked as though she'd been slapped around the face. Her forehead was wrinkled but her eyes did not glaze. I remembered that I was the only one who could cry.

"I... But..."

"Yeah, exactly. You overreacted, got pissed off."

"Emmy... I'm sorry...I just"

"Look, this is your fault Rosalie, Zoey was here to help me. She didn't freak at anything I said, she didn't scream when I did something wrong, she... accepted me."

Uh-oh, it was time to make my move. "I think I'm gonna-"

"No, Bitch!" Rosalie shouted at the same time Emmett said, "Yeah, let's go."

"Um..." I said.

"Bitch! You stole my husband! We've been together almost a hundred years! You can't take that away from me! You just CAN'T!"

Rosalie was shaking violently with sobs that wracked her chest. I wasted to take her into my arms, she was such a blonde beauty; she looked only a child, heartbroken and hormonal.

I took a step toward her and reached out to take her hand. I laid a finger on her cold hard palm, and she reached out.

It blurred.

Her hand, it blurred, and before I knew it I was in the corner of the room, dizzy beyond sense. A hand grabbed my ankle with such ferocity it clicked, and I was dragged up and thrown around, so I landed flat on my bum. Then a silver-white hand clamped onto my throat and I was pushed up the wall, leaving a smear of blue blood from my cracked head on the cream wall.

"You. Have taken. Everything. From me!" She made the sentence into separate sections, hissing the words, spitting them out at me.

"Rose!" Emmett shouted. He charged into her like a rugby tackler, but she didn't budge. Her eyes were glowing with venom, and her eyes were set on me. She gritted her teeth and stared unblinking into my golden eyes, increasing the pressure on my neck.

I closed my eyes and prayed to Nyx. I didn't want to hurt Rosalie. I didn't want to manipulate the elements to hurt a family member. So I prayed. Much along the same lines as the prayer I sent when I was burning, when I was changing.

"Rose," there was a chorus of voices. I opened my eyes slowly, to find the whole family around us. Edward was restraining Emmett in the corner, Carlisle had his hand on Rosalie's shoulder and the rest of the family surrounded our corner in a variety of defensive poses.

The ferocity remained in Rosalie's orange eyes. Orange. They weren't gold.

Edward's head snapped round. He'd heard me. He'd heard that thought.

"Rose, you didn't," he said, almost like a plea.

"Rose?" Carlisle sounded so disappointed. Not let down, as such, but almost guilty, as though it was his fault Rosalie's eyes had adjusted, his fault she'd drunk from a human.

Suddenly, a huge chocolate-brown fur-ball bounded into the room, snarling.

Rosalie's head snapped up and her hands released my neck. I fell to the floor, choking and retching and gasping for breath. So now I'd been strangled by two members of the family. Great, only eight left to go discounting Renesmee.

Cold fingers were pressed to my neck, feeling my pulse. Carlisle put a stethoscope to my chest and cradled me in his lap, like the father I'd never had (he'd left when I was two). I felt so warm and loved in his comforting arms that I leaned in, shaking from my ordeal.

Rosalie darted out the window. Edward released Emmett and Esme came to grab me up, but I clung to Carlisle, taking in his smell; slightly minty but very clean, almost too clean, like in a hospital. I looked up at him and his golden eyes melted; became molten. They burned with relief, with happiness. He smiled at me, and I could not help but return the smile.

He released me and I slid off him while he gathered up his medical things. As soon as I was up, Esme and Bella each grabbed one of my elbows in unison. I felt a happy-cry moment coming on. Ugh, I'd gotten so emotional now I was immortal!

They took me and sat me down on the bed, and Emmett came to sit by me.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault."

My marks blazed with relief and happiness that Emmett was alright.

"Hang on – what did she call you just now?"

"Oh, ugh... Emmy"

I laughed.

"It's short for Emmy-Bear," Edward interjected, cracking a smile.

I laughed harder. I took Emmett in my arms and cuddled him close, like a teddy bear, and said, "My Emmy-Bear."

I leant back against the cold, mossy tree, pressing my back against it's squashy-ness.

A searing pain shot through my back, starting at my neck and streaking down, setting anything attached on fire, which of course meant my whole body.

Piercing pains came at my shoulders and down my back, on my palms and then across the chest, and eventually across my forehead. My marks were being torn apart.

I was not being killed, I was being tortured, and it was working.

The pain returned to my neck and I felt my life-blood being drained.

I grabbed spirit and threw it at my attacker full force, and they were knocked back. I stood shakily and turned to see Rosalie sprinting toward me, her face crazed and vicious.

I called for earth and tripped her with a root, then wind to blow her back.

I could feel my blood spilling from the bite wounds, slithering out of the large slits and snaking down my intricate sapphire swirls.

I screamed as Rosalie charged again, knocking me back against another moss-covered tree. She pinned me against it and pierced the front of my neck, drinking and draining.

I threw the biggest mass of spirit I could conjure, hurled it at her.

And ran.

I was drained of energy, I'd lost so much life-blood and I'd lost energy channelling the elements.

And yet I'd never run so hard in my life. I sprinted back toward the house, jumping the river and weaving through the trees.

I saw the back of the house, but did not bother to go to the front entrance. I ran for my life, straight through the glass wall and into the living room. I tripped and then remained there, and after several seconds I fainted.

It didn't last long though. Not long enough.

I woke up whilst being stitched. They wouldn't have put me under anaesthetic at a hospital, so I didn't ask Carlisle to put me under. It's just... there were so many slashes and bite marks it took hours just to do my back and shoulders, and then I had to lie on the stitches for him to do my chest.

My face, however, was another story. I cried silently throughout the rest of my body, to save Carlisle from the torment, but I had to sob and howl during this one, it was awful. Not as bad as me changing, but awful.

Carlisle was covered in blue blood by the end, and he asked if he could test it. I agreed. The more I knew about myself and my limitations, the better.

For the next few days Bella stayed close by my side. I slept and woke so irregularly I didn't even know how long it was until I would see little Renesmee again.

4


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